


Rockhound

by StankyLady



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: AaarrrgghhxReader, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29652996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StankyLady/pseuds/StankyLady
Summary: Author's Note in boldScREEEEEEEE I HOPE U ENJOYFeel free to give feedbackBtw u can make up ur own age in this fic if u want, but character is a young adult... I think. That's how I've written it. I think. :D
Relationships: Aaarrrgghh (Tales of Arcadia)/Reader, Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez, Steve Palchuk/Eli Pepperjack
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1 ~ STroll in The Forest, Part 1

Gravel crunched beneath my boots, the scraping of rubber and rock the only sound on the otherwise utterly silent bridge crossing the canal. Moisture hung thick in the air, along with the smell of burnt tyres and petrol fumes. 

My coat fluttered lightly in the breeze. The smell of moss and rain reached my nose.

 _Great_ , I thought. I was gonna be drenched before I got back to Arcadia.

I flung out an arm to catch the attention of cars long gone. My thumb stuck up from my balled fist, expectant. No cars came. 

I sighed when the first drop of rain splashed my hand. Yanking my hood over my hair, I began to move faster along the dirty road. It would still be another twenty minutes before I reached town.

The road cut through the forest ahead, and I ran faster to get out of the rapidly increasing rainfall. Hopefully the trees would provide some shelter. I reached the edge of the highway bridge and stopped on the wet grass beside the road, just in front of the forest, where I heaved in gulps of air before running again, but my bag and clothes were still drenched by the time I reached the trees.

I zipped open my pocket and pulled out my phone. 6:30. It would get dark soon. I messaged my friend Mary with the little service available to see if she could come pick me up. After waiting a few seconds with no reply, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and ran further under the trees, still following the road.

I stuffed one earphone in my ear and listened to music to keep my stress down. I had been out after dark on many days, with terrible weather and nobody around. But today just didn't feel right.

It felt like something was watching me.

I sped up, hoping to drag that sinister feeling away, but it clung to my skin like grease. A rustle to my left, deep in the forest, caught my available ear. I yanked my earphone out and listened attentively. All I could hear was the pit pit splish splash of rain, and the wind in the forest canopy. But I had heard a loud rustle. It was big. Maybe a person? Why would a person be randomly wandering in the forest? Granted, I did that too. Maybe it was a bear, or raccoons. I started walking again, keeping my ears alert for any strange noises.

I walked for another ten minutes and didn't hear anything. Finally relaxing, I put an earphone back in;

_"Now we are ready to head for the Horn_

_Way, hay, roll an' go_

_Our boots an' our clothes boys are all in the pawn_

_To be rollicking randy dandy-O_

_Heave a pawl, o heave away_

_Way, hay, roll an' go_

_The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored_

_To be rollicking randy dandy-O_

_Man the stout caps'n an' heave with a will_

_Way, hay, roll an' go_

_Soon we'll be drivin' her 'way down the hill_

_To be rollicking randy dandy-O_

_Heave a pawl, o heave awa—"_

The melodious voices of The Longest Johns was abruptly cut short when I pulled out my earphones for a second, ( _or was it the third?)_ , time. I frowned when I couldn't hear the annoying buzz of crickets or rustle of underbrush. The only noice was the rain, incessantly falling on the bitumen road and the leaves above.   
  


_Drip drip drip_

_Drip drip_

_Drip_

A roar echoed from deep within the forest. It lifted every little hair on my neck, made my arms feel like If I had been watching this on a screen, it might have sounded like a congested elephant. But like, this roar was way more sinister. It screamed death and bloodlust. I listened closer, frozen to the spot. It was like a series of gargles, as though it was speaking. Like when you hear people speaking from far away and can't exactly discern words, only the broken mumbling. It was like that, but as though a congested elephant had learned to talk.

Then I heard screaming. Human screaming. Someone yelling at the top of their lungs in the middle of the forest with the big congested sinister elephant.

I flung my bag off my shoulders and ran towards the shouting. I needed to help them. I jumped over a fallen log and stumbled on the slippery leaves. Branches whacked at my face and water got in my eyes, but the yells were increasing in volume. I could hear crashing of trees as they fell to the ground. The beast roared again, another string of words that I couldn't quite hear. I came to a tree that had be levelled completely, like it had been pushed by a large creature. It was been cracked right up the core and looked as though it had been peeled away from itself. The two massive halves of the tree simply peeled like a banana. There were also claw marks gouged deep into the trees ahead, and I looked down for footprints and saw massive dents in the ground, each about four or five feet across and about seven feet apart.

I ran ahead, and tried to think of an animal that could match what I saw here. I did have very small knowledge on animals, maybe an elephant? No, that was ridiculous. Elephants didn't live in Arcadia.

The only animal I could really think of was a bear. Maybe an extra - large, very hostile bear, I though as I neared the source of the screaming.

I paused.

_I CANT FIGHT BEARS!!??_

Panicking, I searched for a weapon that could possibly help me save whoever was screaming. I needed a sword or something to actually stand a chance, though. A branch about as thick and long as my arm caught my eye. I picked it up and tested its strength by forcing it against my knee.

It would have to do.

I tested it for pointy-ness. Both ends appeared to be sliced off, which was weird, as though a sharp blade had cut it.

The person ahead shouted again, and I crept silently closer, eventually coming to a tangle of bushes.

I carefully flattened my body to the ground and wriggled over the wet leaves, peeking through the underbrush. My blood rushed adrenaline through my limbs, and my fingertips tingled with anticipation. I narrowed my eyes and saw, sitting on the ground with his arms crossed over his chest, a stout boy. He had a yellow collared shirt and red sleeveless vest, and he looked to be about 15. I looked at his chubby face to see tear stained cheeks.

He didn't appear to be in any immediate trouble. I frowned.

Then a terrible stench reached my nose. I gagged at the smell of rotting flesh and sewer water as a creature stalked into view. Swords glinted in the rapidly fading light and a filthy mane of hair cascaded down its broad back. Broken horns framed it ugly muzzle and orange eyes glinted with malice at the boy on the ground. It stalked on all fours, its black claws scraping up chunks of wet leaves.

'What's a defender of trolls that cannot even defend himself or the people closest to him,' he mused, i assumed the voice to be male, 'I never expected much from a human Trollhunter, but his performance has exceeded pitiful. What makes you humans so easy to manipulate is your emotions. Weak emotions is a liability. Those you care about can be used easily against you. Soon, he will come alone as i requested. He will give me the amulet in exchange for you. If he does not abide by my rules, i will simply kill you, and hang your rotting corpse where all can see.' The creature sniffed the air, 'The Trollhunter approaches!' He growled to the trees. The branches rustled. I could hear faint whispers through the leaves, passing one message:

' w a k a c h a k a . . . '

I turned my eyes upward and looked at the trees. I could see the movements of scurrying creatures, but not much else.

I heard the rustle of footsteps as this 'Trollhunter' walked into view. 

I suppressed a gasp as I saw a boy in shining silver armour, with a fiery glowing sword held aloft in his hands.

  
  


**SCREEEEEEEE FIRST CHAPTER FINISHED!!! :D**

**Originally posted on Wattpad**

**So I hope y'all's are enjoying it so far, and I would love any feedback you have.**  
**> :3**


	2. Chapter 2 ~ STroll in The Forest, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swearing! Blood (I think)! *Stage gasp* SscCREEeeEe

The Trollhunter glowered at the creature. A tense moment passed, each staring intensely at the other, until the boy shifted his footing and the creature growled, lifting himself off his haunches and rising to full height. Branches snapped where his head met the lower canopy, sticks and leaves falling to the ground. I slowly shrank back into the bush so that he couldn't see me from his new vantage point.

The Trollhunter sheathed his sword to his back, where it clung like a magnet.

The creature snarled at the boy. He seemed even more menacing now that he stood at full height. 

'Give me that amulet,' he growled, raising a sword to the throat of the boy on the ground.

'Give me Toby first,' the Trollhunter crossed his arms.

'I will not. Ask. Again.' He pressed the blade to Toby's throat.

'No, don't,' He whimpered as the blade pierced his skin.

The Trollhunter shrieked as something dropped onto his shoulders from the branches above. It's green skin was oily, and it's sinister yellow eyes darted to the glowing stone on the boy's chest. It's fingers grasped his shoulder tight. It muttered under its breath as it tried to pry the stone from the armour. It would not budge. 

The boy reached up and easily grasped the amulet. As he lifted it away from his chest, the armour evaporated, leaving behind a simple blue hoodie and jeans. He held the glowing amulet in his hand, and the green creature snatched it in its long spindly fingers, sniffing and prodding at the small contraption. 

The creature sprang from the boy's shoulder and scurried over to the monster with the blade still pressed against his captive's throat. It reached up and pressed the blue stone into the palm of his hand.

'Now let go of Tobes.' Said the Trollhunter.

'No. I will keep him until the sun rises, so you do not follow me. If you do, I will kill him.'

'That wasn't part of the deal!' The boy shouted.

Abide by my rules, hunter. I clearly have the upper hand. I could easily kill you three pathetic humans right now. But I am in a merciul mood.' The monster smirked at him.

_Three?_

The Trollhunter seemed confused as well.

'Don't play dumb,' said the creature, his eyes glinting dangerously, 'I know your friend has been here this entire time. You did not follow my rules, hunter. And that is why I will kill her and this puny scum right now.' He snarled as Toby tried to crawl away from the sharp sword.

'What? I didn't bring anyone with me! I CAME ALONE _DON'T HURT HIM!_ ' The Trollhunter screamed as the blade pressed Toby's neck to the ground.   
  


_SHIT._

'WAIT!' I yelled.

The creature turned to me, his sword still cutting Toby's skin.

'Let him go. I don't know them. I did not come with him.' I said firmly, pointing to the boy in the blue jacket.

'Liar!' Snarled the monster, but his sword pulled away slightly from the chubby boy's neck.

'No I swear. I don't know them.' I repeated. 'I have no idea what's going on, but i will not let that kid die.'

The monster pulled the sword away completely and sheathed it. Toby still lay on the ground, a hand clutching his neck.

The Trollhunter made a move to help his injured friend, and the monster snarled. 'Do not move.'

The creature's eyes moved back to my face. They glowed a deadly orange in the dark of the forest. I pulled my makeshift weapon against my chest, its splintery wood feeling cold and pathetic in my hands. The monster snorted.

'I strike a proposal.' He growled, 'I let these puny fleshbags go, but you stay behind, with me.'

I caught on to the implied message. He planned to eat me. I barely stopped myself from shuddering.

The Trollhunter intervened, 'No, I'm not going to let you die for us.'

Our eyes met. Nobody was going to walk out of this unscathed. And not all of us alive either. The Trollhunter and I hadn't known each other at all, but in this one moment of desperate fear and determination, I knew what my choice was. Neither of us wanted to die, but neither of us was going to let the other die for them.

I tore my gaze away to look at the towering monster before me.

'I'll come with you.' I said.

He snorted in satisfaction. As the brute focused on me, the Trollhunter stumbled over to his friend, still bleeding.  
  


I hoped they both made it back safe.

The monster grabbed my arm and snatched my weapon. He crushed it in his fist and dusted the splinters off his hands. I saw the dim glow of the amulet still clutched between two of his fingers. An idea popped into my mind.

I came closer to the monster, and caught a whiff of his hot stinking breath. I resisted the urge to vomit at the smell of rotting flesh, instead I grabbed one of his fists and held it close to me.

I smiled up at his ugly face. He seemed unsettled by my relaxed, intimate behaviour. An repulsed expression came across his features. I tried to hold my smile firmly on my face as i brought my arm up to hold his other hand, the one with the amulet still clutched in his fingers. I didn't know if this would work, or if the amulet was even of any significance, but maybe it could help the blue sweater boy defeat this monster.

'Shall we go?' I said sweetly, seeming oblivious to my imminent death.

The monster growled and raised his hand above my head. I had a split second of realisation that he was going to knock me out.

I snatched the amulet from the monster's grasp and threw it at the boy, screaming, 'TROLLHUNTER!' 

The fist smashed over my head, crashing my world into oblivion. 


	3. Chapter 3 ~ Thou Shall Not Go Into The Woods Alone At Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Might have swearing. Idk. Does have quite a bit of blood tho.   
> Eye Colour: e/c   
> Hair Colour: h/c

*** * * * Jim's POV**

The girl broke eye contact. She turned to Bular.

'I'll come with you.' She said.  
  


I wondered if she knew she was signing her death warrant.

Toby groaned, his neck still oozing blood and his hand still trying to stop the flow. I bolted over to him, hoping Bular wouldn't notice. 'Tobes! Tobes, let me see your neck.' I said, kneeling beside him.

'Don't you dare let her die,' growled Toby, still coughing on his own blood. He pulled his bloody hand away from his neck to reveal the vicious gash across the top of his collarbone. It didn't look too deep.

I nearly sighed with relief.

I unzipped my hoodie and started to clean the excess blood off Toby. Bular growled, and I whipped my head around to see him with a hand raised above the girl's head, and her clutching the amulet.

'TROLLHUNTER!' She screamed and threw the amulet at me, before Bular's fist cracked over her skull. Her body slumped to the ground.

I caught the amulet in midair and recited the incantation. I stood, glowing sword in hand and faced Bular.

The beast snarled at me and drew his blades.

'Toby! Call Claire! Tell her where we're at the canal, in the forest.' I told Toby, still lying on the ground beside me.

I ran past Bular, dodging a deadly blade swung at my head. Bular gave chase, and I sprinted like hell toward the canal. I used my sword to slice a clear path for my smaller body, while the troll behind me had to shove past trees and branches. Not that he had any trouble with snapping them like toothpicks.

I flung myself down the steep slope of the canal. I skidded to a stop, splattering myself with muddy water. I spat out whatever had landed in my mouth.

Bular roared above me, and I had a strong sense of déjà vu. I sprinted toward the other side of the concrete river, my feet kicking up what ever mud and trash that happened to be in my way.

*** * * *** **Claire's POV**

My phone buzzed. It was 7:10 at night. I was brushing my teeth, and I grunted and spat into the sink. I washed my face and my toothbrush before checking my phone. The text was from Toby. 

_At the canal in the forest. Jim is fighting bular._   
  


Another text came a second later.

_I'm bleeding out and a girl might be injured come quick_

My eyes widened as I read the text a second time. I bolted into my room to get the shadow staff. No time to get dressed. I had to get Blinky and Aaarrrggh and help the boys. 

I had already said goodnight to mama and papa. They would think I'm in bed already.

I found the handle of my weapon under the bed. I channeled my energy and thought of Trollmarket, feeling myself being engulfed by the cold ooze of the portal.

I opened my eyes and found myself in Blinky's quarters. Blinky sat beside the fire, a stone tablet clutched in his hand. Aaarrrgghh was on his back in the corner, snoring.

'Guys!' I tugged my phone out of my pocket.

Blinky jumped. His arms accidentally knocked the stone tablet away and his six eyes turned to me. Aaarrrgghh snorted in alarm, waking himself up and rubbing his head where a mysterious flying object had hit him.

'Come quick! Toby and Jim are at the canal. Jim is fighting Bular and Tobys injured!' I held up my small phone screen. They both peered at it with blurry eyes.

'We must make haste! What were they doing at night in the canal?' Blinky rummaged in his pocket and pulled out his own phone. It was an old one of toby's and half the screen didn't work, but it was the best possible thing they could get. 

I summoned a portal, focusing on Toby as an emotional anchor. Jim could handle himself, at least for a little while. Toby and the other girl both needed immediate attention.

Blinky tapped on the Find my Friend app. It showed Jim's phone location.

  
The cold feeling engulfed us again, until we found ourselves in the forest. I looked around and saw two people lying on the ground. One was Toby and the other was a girl I didn't know, with pretty (H/c) hair. I ran over to toby, who looked to be in the worst condition.

'Toby! Can you hear me?' I waved a hand over his face, panic rising in my chest as I saw the blood caked on his hands, neck and Jim's jumper.

He grumbled something I couldn't hear, but at least he was processing that I was present. I grabbed Jim's jumper and cleaned the blood off Toby's hands. I then moved to his neck, where his fingers had smudged the blood, making it look worse that it was. I delicately cleaned away the blood around the vicious gash on his neck. The cut didn't seem too deep, to my relief. But he needed immediate medical attention, and stitches. I lifted Toby's head so that it rested on Jim's jumper. I then wrapped the sleeves around his neck, to cover the wound.

I heard Blinky, who was checking the girl, give a faint gasp. I turned to see him cradling her back, and his top set of hands feeling through her hair. A worried expression crossed his face, and he looked to me and Aaarrrgghh.

'Her skull is fractured.'

I gasped and leaned down. I couldn't see her breathing.

'Her pulse is healthy, and she is breathing, at least a little. but there appears to be a bit of bleeding here,' Blinky pointed to the crown of the girl's head, where a slight trickle of blood seeped through. I combed my fingers through the soft hair, feeling a fracture in her skull. She needed an ambulance. Fast.

'How did this happen?' Blinky wondered aloud.

We heard a grunt behind us. Toby was sitting up, a hand on his head and one holding the knot where the jumper was tied.

'TP!' I exclaimed.

Toby coughed. His eyes were glassy with pain, and his breathing was uneven. My forehead creased with worry.

Toby croaked, 'Bular caught me. He told Jim that he had to give him the amulet, or he would kill me. She,' he said, and pointed to the girl, 'she saved me. She came out of nowhere and told Bular that if he would let me and Jim go, he could have her.' He coughed, and bloody phlegm trickled down his chin. He wiped it away, and continued. 'Bular had his sword,' he drew a line across his throat, 'cut me. She grabbed the amulet and chucked it a Jim.' He wheezed, and his nose started to bleed. 'But Bular hit her on the head.' He knocked himself lightly on the head with a balled fist. 'I think I hit my head trying to get away from Bular when he captured me.' He wiped the blood away from his nose.

'I was not aware that any other friends of yours knew about us,' Blinky frowned at me.

'I've never seen her before in my life,' I said.

'Claire's right. Me neither. I think she heard me screaming when Bular caught me, and came to help,' Toby lay back on the ground, groaning when more blood seeped out.

A scream suddenly erupted from the canal.  
  


I froze. 'JIM!'

*** * * * 3rd POV**

Jim screamed. Claire shouted, running toward the canal, Blinky following close behind.

Toby struggled to get up, but Aaarrrgghh pushed him back down, worried his wound would get worse.

'No. Call help,' he told his wingman. 

Toby grabbed his phone off the ground, only to find that it was flat. He moaned in pain and frustration. Toby crawled over to the girl on the ground.

Blinky had taken off her jacket and carefully set it under her head, so the fracture didn't get worse. Toby rummaged in the pockets and pulled out the girl's phone. He saw a message;

_Yea i can come get u. Where u at._ It was from a person named Mary Wang.

He knew Mary Wang. She was one of Claire's friends.

Toby's head spun as he emergency dialled. His vision became blurrier and his fingers felt clumsy. He managed to call 911.

'911, what's your emergency.' Said the bored voice.

Toby coughed. 'Arcadia Oaks, east canal.' He wheezed, 'me and my two friends were hiking, got attacked by a... uh.. cougar or coyotes or... or something. My friend has a fractured skull and I'm bleeding. My other friend is unaccounted for.'

'Alright, we'll send an ambulance.'

_Beep_

Toby coughed and spat out another chunk of bloody phlegm. His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the ground.

Aaarrrgghh whimpered and leaned over his friend. He pressed a finger gently to the boy's wrist, and felt a pulse. His breath shuddered with fear and a tear trickled down his face.

He had to get them help.

He gently cradled Toby in the crook of his arm. He reached out to the girl, but thought better of it. His clumsy hands would likely cause more damage if he wasn't careful. He hated to leave her here, but he had to move them separately.

He quickly made his way back through the forest, toward the highway. As he neared the edge of the trees he smelled sweat and deodorant, and quietly approached the road. Nobody was there. The source of the smell was a soaked backpack, he figured it must belong to the girl. He set Toby down beside it, trying his hardest not to jostle him. Toby grunted in pain.

Aaarrrgghh made sure his friend was safely positioned on the wet grass, before running back into the forest.   
He reached the girl, and gently felt her head. He could feel the swelling getting worse. She groaned and squirmed in pain at his touch. Ever so gently, Aaarrrgghh lifted her body slightly off the ground. Then he cradled her head with his other hand, her soft hair brushing against his fingers.

_You saved wingman. Now I help you,_ thought Aaarrrgghh

He made his way through the forest again, mindful not to let any branches brush against her head. 

Hearing her breathing hitch, he looked down at her to see her face scrunched in pain. The girl’s eyes were half open, and she was looking straight at him.

He tried to smile at her, but in her injured state, he couldn't bring himself to pretend all was well. Her hair felt damp from blood and he could see she was weakening by the minute.

She mumbled something incoherent. Aaarrrgghh stopped walking and listened to her. 

Her breath came in light gasps. She lifted a hand and felt his green mane.

'Wha...' she whispered.

Aaarrrgghh couldn't quite hear. 'What?' He said softly.

'What...' she breathed, her eyes were fully open now. 'What are you?'

'I am friend.' He said. 'I can help you.'

The girl grunted. She tried to lift her head up, but a headache shot through her skull like lightning. She groaned in pain and curled her legs to her chest. She gasped each breath as her head throbbed and tears streamed down her face. Aaarrrgghh looked down at the girl, worry for her safety.

'I get you help.' He murmured softly. 

*** * * * Your POV**

I slowly drifted back into consciousness. My brain slowly processed what my senses told me. My back was lying on cold, wet leaves. I could hear the moisture dripping off the canopy above, and the musty smell of rain and earth reached my nose. I tried to shift my head, and a vicious headache tore my head apart. It weaved its devilish tentacles into every crevice of my brain, and I blacked out again.

I came to when I felt my body being gently lifted off the ground. I groaned as I felt a hand touch my skull. It slid under my neck, slowly moving up the back of my head to support it.   
The hands were cool and soothing against my burning skin. I felt myself cradled higher, and more comfortably, in the person's arms. Whoever was carrying me had to be quite strong if they could lift my body that easily.

I heard the crunch of leaves as they began to walk through the forest. My headache hammered against the walls of my brain, threatening to escape. My blood pounded in my ears, and bile rose in my throat. I tried to clear my throat of the burning substance, unsuccessfully. Fur brushed against my face. I scrunched my eyes in pain as my headache throbbed worse. I cracked one eye open, the blurry sleep clogging my vision. A disoriented and out of focus sight beheld me. I saw green. Mostly dappled and dark, like leaves. I cracked my second eye open. Yeah, they were leaves. I looked toward whoever was carrying me. I gasped slightly at the sight of the person, or rather, not person.

It looked down at me. It's shiny black nose caught the dappled light of the street lamps. Horns sprouted out the top of its head. It's gleaming teeth stuck out of its bottom lip. But its eyes fascinated me the most. They were the softest, most beautiful green I had ever seen.

Movement tugged at the corners of its mouth, but was drowned by an expression of worry. 

'Wow.' I murmured. I reached up and felt its mane of fur. The creature stood still, letting me regain my senses. The bile from my concussion threatened to reach my mouth again, and I attempted to breathe it away. 'Wha...' I whispered when saw the colour of its fur. It was _green?_

It's ears shifted slightly towards me. 'What?'

His voice rumbled through my bones, and a chill ran up my spine.

'What...' I struggled to get the words out, 'what are you?' I squirmed in his arms. 

'I am friend,' he said softly, 'I can help you.'

I felt the warm ooze of blood in my hair as I moved my neck slightly. I attempted to pull myself into a sitting position, but didn't get two inches before my skull exploded in pain. I instinctively drew my legs up to my chest. Tears streamed down my face as pain lanced through my head. My fingers went numb. I groaned as my pulse slammed on my eardrums and blood burned my face. I faintly heard the creature say something. I felt him moving through the forest again until light burst through my eyelids.

*** * * * 3rd POV**

Aaarrgghh set the girl down beside Toby in the light of the street lamps. He waited for Jim, Claire and Blinky to arrive. They eventually came running up the road, shouting for Aaarrgghh and Toby.

'Here!' Called Aaarrrgghh, waving them over.

Blinky, Claire and Jim gasped at the sight of the injured teens, rushing over to see their wounds. 

'They're both getting worse,' Blinky said, leaning over to see the bloody sleeves of Jim's jacket still secured around Toby's neck.

'Wingman called the ahm-boo-lance.' Said Aaarrrgghh.

'The ambulance?' Claire looked up from where she kneeled beside the injured girl. Claire ran her fingers through the girl's hair, feeling for the bruises.   
She gasped when she found a huge swollen lump right on the top of her head, where Bular had hit her. Claire's fingers came away bloody.

Aaarrrgghh grunted in confirmation. 'Wingman had plan. He told ambulance cougar attacked three of you when hiking.'

'When the ambulance comes and picks us up, they'll need names.' Said Jim. 'We can't use a fake name for her.' He said, motioning to the unconscious girl,

'Wait, I have an idea.' Claire took the girl's phone out of Toby's pocket and checked the model. iPhone 8. Good. She then made sure AirDrop was on. Claire selected a random photo and pressed Send via airdrop. A list of available phones came up:

_Jim's iPhone -_ that one was Jim's, obviously.

_(Y/N)'s iPhone._

_That's the one,_ thought Claire.

'Her name is Y/N.' She said. 

Jim peered at Claire's phone screen where the names showed. 'Claire! That's genius!' He exclaimed. She giggled. Then she gasped as she realised something.

'I'm supposed to be in bed. What are mama and papa going to do if they find I've been "hiking" at night?' She said, 'it'll give mama a bad name!'

'Don't worry, there were only three of us hiking.' Jim winked. She nodded.

'We must make haste. Help will be here soon, we must leave lest we are seen.' Said Blinky.

Toby squirmed on the ground. A groan escaped him, and he opened his eyes. He smacked his lips, feeling the dryness of his tongue. 'Water.' He croaked.

The others looked at each other. Jim shrugged. Claire shook her head. Aaarrrgghh looked at (YN)'s bag, where a water bottle was tucked into a side pocket. Jim followed his gaze and pulled it out, and unscrewed the lid.

'Hope she doesn't mind,' he said as he gave the bottle to Toby.

Toby chugged most of the contents, stopping only when the front of his shirt was soaked with spilled water. 

The Trollhunters heard the wailing of sirens in the distance.

*** * * * Your POV**

Someone said my name, pulling me from my half consciousness. Someone else spoke with and excited tone. A girl giggled.

I saw the light of the street lamps through my eyelids. I frowned in annoyance. I felt someone beside me shift on the grass. I couldnt bring my limbs to move, so I lay there. A drop of water splashed on my face.

I heard the wailing of sirens in the distance. I wondered who was in trouble. I cracked an eye open only to be blinded by the glare of the street lamp. I heard people shuffling around me, saying hurried goodbyes.

I pushed myself off the ground. Stars swam before my eyes, but at least my headache had subsided. I grunted as a pang came from the surface of my skull. I brushed my hand against the top of my head. My fingers felt sticky, and I looked to find them covered in blood. Great. I hoped it wasn't too bad.

I heard someone speak. I tilted my head up to see three faces looking at me.

The sirens approached.

'Hi. I'm Jim,' said the boy with dark hair, 'and that's Toby.' He pointed to the boy on the ground next to me. 'We're going to the hospital, your skull is fractured, and we're going to get it fixed. Are you ok with that?'

'...yeah...' I foggily wondered what I was doing here.   
I reached for my phone. 'I avt' call Mary an' tell er.' I said like a drunken sailor, slurring my words together.   
My head spun when I moved my arm, and I couldn't feel my fingers when I grabbed the phone.

'Mary Wang? Dark hair, dark brown eyes?' Asked Toby.

'Yeah, you er'?' I frowned.

'I'll call her.' Said Claire. 'She's my friend.'

She paused. 'I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow. I'll come visit if you're still in hospital.' Said Claire.

We could see the flashing lights of the ambulance now. It's wails echoed toward us.

'We must leave,' said a voice behind me. A second voice rumbled in response. A warm huff of air huffed on my back.

'Wingman ok?'

'Yeah I'll be fine.' Said Toby.

I shifted my body so I could see who the voices belonged to. My head ached again and stars swam before my eyes. I reached out a hand.

My fingers brushed against soft fur. I pulled my hand back and looked through blurry eyes.

'You.'

'Hey guys, you have to go.' Said Jim.

The creature drew away from my touch. It looked back at me from the edge of the forest. A smile creased his features. He turned away and walked into the forest, engulfed by leaves.

'Thankyou,’ I whispered.

Claire disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

A moment later, an ambulance pulled up next to us. A police car parked behind and an officer stepped out. The paramedics swept Toby and I into the back of the ambulance, and I faintly heard the police asking Jim questions.

The minutes blurred together on the ride back to the hospital. A mask was put on my face, the tubes attached to an unknown source.

I was vaguely aware of a woman speaking, and my bed being wheeled away. Then, the peace and quiet engulfed me.


	4. Chapter 4 ~ Oui Oui Oui HonHonHon Croissant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contains swearing, erm... you seethe over family issues, and SCREEEEEE!!!! you FiND sOmeTHinG!!! >:3

_Fingers brushed against soft, green fur. Leaves swayed gently in the breeze, letting sunlight trickle through the branches onto my skin.  
  
_

_'You' I said._

_It's eyes turned toward me, the beautiful emeralds and blues and yellows swirled like a tranquil pool of colour. I dipped my hands in, feeling the colours melt onto my fingers. I heard a sound from far away._

Beep.

_A faint voice reached my ears, carried by the breeze._

_'We have to go...' it whispered._

Beep.

The sun was sucked from my eyes, to be replaced with the unnaturally bright hospital light. I twitched my fingers. They brushed against soft bed sheets. I could smell disinfectant and the sour tang of blood. A muffled noise reached my ears, someone was speaking beside me.

'Yeah... we couldn't actually see what it was because it was pretty dark and—'

'Wait, you know Y/N from where?'

'Mary Wang introduced us to her.'

I groaned slightly as my headache returned. The dull throb reached my eyes, making it hard to open my eyelids.   


'Y/N!' A pair of familiar arms wrapped around my shoulders.

'Hey, Mom.' I croaked. 

She pulled away to look at my face. I smiled slightly back at her. I peeked over her shoulder to see Dad, Toby and Jim. Toby's neck was wrapped in bandages, and a packet of ibuprofen was clutched in his fist. Dad reached out and grasped my hand, enveloping it easily in his big soft palms.

'What happened?' He asked.

Toby huffed something under his breath, 'already told you-'

I looked at the bed sheets. 'Coyotes, maybe a bear.' I thought of what I knew the lie to be, 'It attacked us when we were hiking.' I murmured. I glanced up at Toby and Jim. Jim winked. Toby did a secretive thumbs up.

A man walked into the room. He wore a pristine white lab coat and smelled of hand sanitiser, and he had ruffled black hair. A clipboard was clutched to his chest and a calm expression plastered on his face.

We all paused and looked toward the doctor. Jim and Toby left at his command.

I waited for the worst.

The doctor told us about the injuries I had obtained. I zoned out as he went on about minor skull fracture, the parietal lobe and what any damage meant for me, how bad my neck was. I began to feel drowsy again. The pillow beneath my head felt so soft, the sheets so warm. I closed my eyes and felt the soft embrace of sleep reach for me—

'Y/N.'

I jolted awake. The doctor was looking at me.

'You're free to go.' He said, tapping a pen on his clipboard.

I blinked. 'Really? What about my head?'

'Your parietal lobe, which processes your sense of touch and things like that, is a little bit bruised, but should be fine in a couple of days. Your skull will take a little longer to heal, because it took the most damage. Other than that, you'll be perfectly fine.' The doctor smiled, dimples showing on his cheeks.

'Really?' I looked, wide eyed, at the three adults. 'YESSS!' I shrieked, my worry evaporating completely. I flung the covers off and sprang from the bed. My head ached in protest. 

He chuckled and my parents smiled. 'Take care, you're still healing.' He showed us out the door.

I saw no sign of Jim and Toby as we made our way out into the parking lot.  
I sighed as the sun poured onto my skin. I loved the sun. I relished the warmth and the smell of flowers close by. I looked toward the small cluster of trees across the road. 

Trees. I loved trees. I marvelled at the green of their leaves and the life they sustained. I might have been a bit loopy from relief, but i savoured the moment. _Soon,_ I thought, I would seek out what Jim, Toby and the girl were up to, and what those creatures were. 

*** * * * 3rd POV**

'My dude, this is ridiculous.' Toby stated as he looked at Blinky. 

'But what will happen if she strives to find troll kind, or tells your authorities?' Blinky eyed the boy incredulously with two amber eyes, while the other four studied the device clutched in his hand. 'What would be ridiculous is leaving another human with knowledge of our existence. We have to erase her memory.'

'She could be a useful part of the team,' said Aaarrrgghh from the corner, chewing on a football.

'Exactly! I don't know many people who would run into the woods when they hear someone scream, or face Bular for a person she doesn't know, and risk her life for them!' Jim argued.

BANG! The football popped.

'She saved Wingman.' Aaarrrgghh stood from the mat. 'Bular has her scent. Could track her and catch her.' 

'What will be our reasoning when Vendel finds out yet another human knows?!' Blinky spread his arms, 'I know she could be useful, but if we do not act and erase her memory then she will most certainly tell others and seek us out!' He set the device on the table and sighed. 'Her bravery does far exceed my own. But are you willing to bring yet another person into this dangerous world? She could get hurt. You already worry for the health of Claire and Toby.'

'I know. But i think she could look after herself, and others, if she trained with someone with fighting experience.' Jim fidgeted with the amulet.

Blinky sighed and rolled his shoulders, 'How about, you three can keep your eyes on her for any indication that she remembers what happened. If she seeks out Bular or any other trolls, we may invite her into this world.' He cracked his knuckles. 'Hmm. My joints are rather sore,' he muttered.

'Sounds like a plan,' Claire grinned.

*** * * * Your POV**

Eli's head banged against the locker. I stopped mid-sentence with Mary and turned around to see Steve with a hand on the boy's forehead.

'I'm telling the truth! There are creepers living among us!' Eli yelled. He groaned when Steve opened the locker beside him. 

'On and on and on about the "monsters", what do you think you are? You’re crazy! And you forgot my lunch money!' Steve shoved the boy in the locker.

'I'm sorry! It was the last of my pocket money last week!'

The locker door slammed in his face.

Steve and his friend walked away, snickering at whatever sick joke they thought this was. I scoffed and opened the locker. Eli was curled up inside with his glasses missing. I picked them up off the ground and pressed them into his hand.

'You Ok?' I asked softly.

He wiped his nose with his sleeve. 'Yeah. Happens every day.' He squinted at me. 'I'll get him back one day.'

'That's the spirit.' I smiled.

He climbed out of the locker and set the glasses back on his nose.

'Do I know you?' He said.

'Nah. This is my last year of high school. I'm Y/N' I hefted my bag over my shoulder and held out a hand. 'What do you know about these creatures?'

He shook it. 'Well, I know what they look like.' He said slowly. He looked at me, his face deadly serious.

'Stone for skin?' I said quietly.

'You.. you've seen them too?' His eyes widened.

'Yeah. Three of them. One had a crown of horns and a mane of spiky hair. He had swords and his eyes glowed orange,' I shivered, 'another had six eyes and was blue. And... he wore suspenders.'

'Ive seen them! The one with swords, he was like eleven feel tall and had this really ugly face, and had black stone skin?' He said eagerly.

My breath shuddered. 'That's the one! I'm.... not crazy!' I murmured slowly. I straightened my back and flung my arms into the air. ‘I'M NOT CRAZY!!!' I shouted excitedly.

A few people looked at me funny. Like I was crazy.

'What about the third one?' Eli asked.

'He was like... woah. He had these eyes. They were the most dazzling green. Ive never seen anything like it. And he... his skin was grey, with carvings on them. The carvings were so perfect, like I could pour molten metal on them and have a surface so smooth, its like a mirror. He had four horns and...' I paused, thinking this would sound weird, 'his fur was so soft, like damp moss and fluffy clouds—'

I cut myself off. Yeah. That was weird.

'You've touched one? Like actual, studied it?' Eli's eyes glistened.

'This sounds crazy, but yeah. Their stony skin is like, cool but not cold. It's a nice temperature. And the palms of their hands are really warm and so, so soft. It's fascinating.' I grinned.

'I have a whole wall dedicated to researching creepers. Do you want to come to my house sometime?' He asked.

'Yeah! That would be so cool! I'll have to check with my parents, though.' I took out a pack of sticky notes and a pencil, 'what's your number?'

The bell rang, and he hurriedly scribbled a combination of digits on the yellow paper. I tossed the pencil and sticky notes back into my bag.

'See you!' I said over my shoulder.

'Uh, bye!'

Mary had since disappeared for class. As I made my way to the last period of the day, my phone buzzed.

_Hi Y/N, this is Claire. U probably dont know me._

I frowned. Another message popped up.

_Mary gave me ur number. I was wondering if u remember anything about what u encountered in the forest. A certain blue glowing object might be something you remember. Something a bit like a clock face. Text me back if you remember anything!_

*** * * * 3rd POV — tHE nExT dAY!!**

'Was that too formal? It felt too formal.' Said Claire, lying on her stomach. Her, Toby, and Jim were lying on the carpet of her bedroom after school. Not-Enrique lounged on the shelf, eating a sock Toby brought over.

'Yeah, but I guess it is a text from a random stranger.' Jim reasoned.

'I feel like a croissant,' said Toby faintly, drawing circles in the purple carpet with his finger. 

'It's been a day, she hasn't replied.' Claire put her phone on her bed. 'I think we just talk to her.' She buried her face in the fluffy material.

'Blinky won't like it, but yeah. I think we should.' Jim looked a Toby. 'Toby? What do you think?'

'Uh, yeah, sure.' He was looking up the nearest French bakery. 

Jim sighed. 'I should go train with Blinky.' He slowly hauled himself off the comfortable mat, and he felt his bones creak.

'I'll come with,' said Claire.

'I just want a croissant.' Toby groaned, and flopped dramatically on the carpet.

Claire hauled him up. 'You can get one on the way and eat it at trollmarket.'

Jim carefully climbed out the window, Claire close behind. Toby reluctantly tagged along, if only he could get a croissant.

*** * * * Your POV**

I ran down the steep slope through the trees. Jumping over a fallen branch, I huffed as my legs took the impact. Eli had texted me, saying that there was a lot of Creature activity around the canal, I was going to check it out.

A stick smacked my face, and I smacked it back, grumbling. Stupid branches. Stupid head injury.  
What a dumb situation. Why was I here, when I could be at home, eating ice cream? Stupid Dad, that was why. Mum and her dumb Karen-ness.

I snatched a stick off the ground and whacked a tree.

Stupid beer, dumb bills, stupid car, and what the _fuck_ was my brother doing this whole time? Playing on his dumb console, like the fuckass he is. I growled in frustration and hurled the stick into the trees. What an absolute shithole. I wished I could get away from this place. Maybe I could go to college early, leave all my dumb family and neighbours behind.

I reached the edge of the canal. It didn't look too interesting, or sinister. I hurled a rock at the bottom, where it splashed in a muddy puddle.

I could go to college, but it doesn't really sound like my thing. I slumped on the edge of the concrete, still at the top of the boring grey slope. I would rather stay in Arcadia, with its boring grey canals. And boring grey sky, and my boring grey mood.

_Stop wallowing in self pity, Y/N._

I decided to have a walk around the bridge, at least. I dusted off my pants and slowly strolled along to top of the canal toward the bridge.

Pausing, I heard faint voices. I ducked into the bushes and peered through the leaves.

'Seven dollars! For one croissant!' A boy exclaimed.

'Yes, it was expensive, but it's SOOO BUTTERY!' Said another.

A girl grumbled something I couldn't hear.

'Hey!! I must take heed to the call of nature!' The second boy declared.

I saw the three of them walk through the trees. Just the people I'm looking for. Jim, Toby... and I recognised that girl. Probably from school. They all began to make their way down the canal.

The girl shrieked in delight as Jim picked her up and hurled himself down the slope. He barely stopped them in time at the edge of a dirty puddle. She laughed and punched him lightly on the arm.

I crept out from under the bush and moved silently along the edge of the concrete. I reached the wall of the bridge and got down on my knees at the edge. I watched as the three teenagers walked into the shadows. 

I slid quietly down to the bottom of the canal and peeked around the supporting beam.

The girl drew an archway on the concrete wall. I frowned at the glowing semicircle. She then pressed her hand in the centre of the drawing, and the rock collapsed. I gasped when the pieces seemed to float, suspended by golden light. They swirled and dissapeared, leaving a doorway in their place.

The three teenagers walked calmly through the doorway, as though they'd done this hundreds of times before.

I scurried through the doorway before it closed, becoming solid rock again. I panicked as I felt the rock wall for any way to open it again.

There was no use.

I was trapped.


	5. Chapter 5 ~ AnOTheR hUmAN?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K so I realised there is a huge plot hole around Claire, the actual timeline and the shadow staff. The start of this fic is during The Battle of Two Bridges, when Claire doesn’t have the shadow staff yet. But I’m pretending that never happened. She doesn’t have the shadow staff now and until this fic reaches The Shattered King, when she canonically gets the staff lmao.   
> Also chapter has swearing, as per usual.

I panicked when the solid rock didn't budge. I beat my hands against the hard surface. 

'Let me out!' I whisper pleaded. 

The rock didn't move. It was rock, duh. 

I growled, stress bubbling to the surface. Where was this? I looked around. It seemed to be a small cave, an antechamber. A dim glow came from a deep chasm in the ground. I walked to the edge and looked down to see another antechamber, with another archway. Light came in through there. 

That has to be a way to the surface. How am I going to get down there, though?!

I felt around on the ground for a stairway. I slipped on a wet rock and nearly fell into thin air. 

My back slammed into a smooth surface, and my still healing head ached in protest. Blue light shone all around me when I made contact, and I flipped my body to see a stairway of glowing crystals descending to the lower antechamber. They all lit up individually, a chain reaction from my fall. 

Conveniently enough.

I tried to slide down the stairs on my ass, but ended up bruising it in the first three feet. I leaped down the uneven staircase of crystals at about four at a time and came to a stop at the bottom. 

I froze when sounds reached my ears. Growls and clanks and shouts, the bustle of feet on dusty earth. 

I slowly peeked my head around the edge of the rock wall. 

I gasped.

I stood at the top of another uneven staircase, overlooking the scene before me. A huge glowing crystal, hundreds of feet tall, towered above an underground marketplace. Lights hung from storefronts and crystals gave off eerie light, illuminating creatures. Creatures of all sizes and shapes, some towered over ten feet tall, while others scurried underfoot. 

I suppressed a shriek at the sight. Here, beneath my boring, lonesome town, was a whole other civilisation. I blinked rapidly, trying to properly process the sight. 

My eyes snatched a glimpse of the three teenagers, walking calmly through the marketplace full of menacing stone creatures. 

I skidded down the stairway, trying to not lose sight of them. I reached the bottom and ran as fast as I could to the nearest shelter, between a pile of crates. Flipping one upside down, I huddled under it and scurried closer to Jim, Toby and the girl, who I assumed to be Claire. I saw a blanket hanging from a suspended wire, like a washing line. Snatching it from its place, I donned it like a cloak. 

I barely got ten feet before a voice screeched. 

'WRETCHED GNOMES, STEALING MY NOSE BLOWER!!!' An angry creature-lady shook her fist at nothing, 'I'LL GET YOU!!!' 

I bolted after the teens, hoping to make an easy getaway. I saw them turn into a hallway, with a glowing neon light in the shape of a sword. I followed slowly. I felt the wall with my fingers. It was smooth from decades of hands brushing against it. 

Jim, Toby and Claire reached the end of the corridor, and walked across a bridge of stone, which stretched across a yawning chasm. I looked into the black abyss and shivered. I couldn't see the bottom. 

On the other side of the bridge was a huge arena. A door shaped like a mouth gaped opposite to the bridge. Statues mounted on huge pillars circled the edge of the space, in line with a horizontal gash in the rock face that spanned the whole semicircle of wall. It looked like a viewing platform. 

They proceeded through the archway, completely ignoring the looming teeth of the face above them. 

I stepped onto the stone bridge, keeping as much in the centre as I could. As I reached the middle, where the stones were narrower, I looked down into the abyss. The skin on my legs did that strange freezing jolt, and my fingers tingled. The shadows loomed from their hidden places, grasping at me, and I turned and bolted the rest of the way across the bridge. As I ran through the arena, I noticed all the strange carvings in the floor. They were drawn in barbaric patterns, they sharp curves and twists of the lines dizzying my vision. But they were strangely elegant too, honed over millennium of artists and scholars. 

I reached the doorway and heard faint voices. I stepped down another passage and saw several other doorways before the passage took a sharp turn to the right, about sixty feet away. I peeked into the first archway. The walls were lined with weapons mounted on iron nails, and more barrels held swords and spiked clubs. I wanted to go touch them. I had never actually touched a real sword, but I resisted the urge and crept to the next doorway, where the voices came from.

'I failed to find the bridge, again. But since they captured Tobias, they will probably attempt to take any one of us as leverage for Master Jim to open the bridge. They seem to have rather thought out plans, with the fake amulet and all,' someone said. 

I slowly poked my head around the edge of the stone doorway. Shelves upon shelves of books met my gaze, along with stone tablets and scrolls scattered on tables and all on the ground. At a table in the centre of the room, stood a deep teal coloured creature with four arms. It had its back to me, and was riffling through three books at once. Two ivory horns stuck out the back of its rather large head. I had seen this creature before, I realised. He was the one with suspenders. 

'Oh, this book is rather nice, Claire. It's the legend of Uhvallöck The Uncatchable, a troll-changeling who was shunned by the trolls of Gouffre Mirolda, in France.' I realised the voice belonged to the creature before me. 

Claire peeked out from behind a pile of books. 'Uh, I don't think I've read that one. What does he do?'

The creature slapped the book shut and passed it to the girl. 'They. Uhvallöck was a Them.'

Claire corrected herself, 'Oops. What did they do?' 

'Uhvallöck sought vengeance against their Gouffre Miroldan brethren, and went to join the Jötnar trolls of Scandinavia. The Jötnar trolls are well known to be quite aggressive and feral, and love the exhilaration of battle and the smell of spilled blood. Did you know that the humans of Scandinavia, Norway and Sweden have, generally, the most accurate, and most abundant, myths about trolls in all the world? Trolls of that area did tend to be less careful about revealing themselves to humans, in the past.   
Anyway, Uhvallöck rallied the most barbaric Jötnar tribes and— '

'Oh! I've heard of that one! It was only mentioned a bit though, in Nordic Myths and Legends: Volume Two, The Fall of Gythric-Oh-Hyym, I think. But it only mentioned the first part of the legend.' Claire flicked through the book's ageing pages.

'You guys, book talk is soooo booorriiiinngggg....' moaned Toby, who was slumped over a bundled up carpet. 

'Is not! Go do stabby stuff with Jim! Nobody likes it when you mope.' Claire muttered.

'I dont feel like getting bruised tooddayyyy thoouuugghhhh!!' He flopped an arm dramatically over his face. 'Oh, Taco, Taco. Wherefore art thou Taco?'

'"Wherefore are thou" doesn't mean "Where are you", it means "Why are you called". Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo means "Romeo, Romeo, why are you called Romeo", Juliet is thinking of his name, and why his name is Romeo.' She corrected. 

'Smart-ass' Toby mouthed.

I heard shuffling behind me. I whipped around to see a blue creature with spikes on his back and a huge crown of horns. He came from down the hallway, carrying a dozen swords in his arms. 

He stopped when he noticed me. We both stood there, waiting for the other to move. A few seconds passed, and he slowly tilted his head toward the doorway.

'Uh.... Blinky...???' He said softly, his uncertain orange eyes still on me. 

'Yes, what Draal?' Said Blinky, looking out at Draal. 

The blue troll pointed slowly at me, both of us still frozen to the spot. Blinky turned his head to me. 

'WHAT IN DEYA'S GRACE IS SHE DOING HERE???!!!' Blinky's alarmed voice echoed down the hallway. 

I bolted past Draal, and deftly snatched a sword from his arms. I skidded down the chamber and around the corner, and reached yet another set of rooms, and a T-intersection at the end of this hallway. 

I heard Toby and Claire shouting behind me, and I briefly looked behind me to see them sprinting around the corner, with the creatures close on their heels. 

Reaching the intersection, I bolted left, and a long hallway met my eyes. An orange glow came through the doorway at the end of the tunnel. I ran as fast as I could toward the light, shooting past the open double doors of the room. I stopped and searched for a way out. The orange light came from crystals, towering high above my head and blocking any means of escape. A table stood in the centre, with seemingly random objects scattered across it, and a strange contraption that had several spinning cogs and wheels. I quickly searched the room and found a door. I rattled the handle and kicked at where I thought the lock was on the other side, to no avail. 

I was trapped. 

I swore and whipped around, holding the sword firmly in my hands. The handle felt slippery from sweat and it was surprisingly heavy, or not surprisingly, considering it was made from solid steel. 

My pursuers rounded the corner, shouting for someone to catch me. 

I widened my stance and kicked my shoes off, securing my toes on the hard stone ground. I brought the blade up infront of me, the tip gleaming in the soft light. 

The shouting group got closer, and closer, until they were nearly through the doorway. 

'I CANNOT CONCENTRATE WITH YOU HOOLIGANS CAUSING A RUCKUS WHILE I WORK!' Bellowed a voice from behind the door. It slammed open and a towering creamy coloured creature shuffled out, holding a staff of orange crystal. His pale eyes swept over the scene, and he paused. 'Blinkous.' He turned a cold eye to the teal coloured creature. 'What is the meaning of this?' 

Claire, Toby, Blinky and Draal had stopped at the doorway. Blinky twisted his hands in discomfort, 'Erm.. Well... this girl...She uh... might have...—'

'Might have.. followed us... through the gateway?' Said Claire, looking at the ground. 

I still held the sword on guard. As the creature stepped toward me, I directed the sword at him. The tip of the blade barely touched his stone skin, but he stopped. 

'Stay away from me. I will stab you.' I threatened. 

'Don't threaten me little human,' he said, but backed away from the blade. 

I raised my nose at him. 'I'll do whatever I damn well please.' I said as I eyed the open doorway behind him. 

'Ha! Where is the Trollhunter?! Have him—' he was cut off when I pressed the sword to his chest. I applied a bit of pressure, and he backed out of my way. I paused with the sword still on his skin for emphasis, before running again. 

I ran through the door and the sword accidentally knocked against the rock frame, dislodging it from my hand. I left it there and ran down yet another hallway, which turned back out into the first hallway. The doors loomed before me again. I heard the others close on my heels. 

I ran into a random room at the end of the passage. It was quite large and very dark, with only a single oil lamp to cast light on the walls. Said walls had roughly sketched drawings on them in chalk. Becoming immediately distracted from running away, I brushed the tips of my fingers over the chalk, careful not to smudge it. I admired the whorls and soft strokes of the drawings, the different shades and textures. 

Something clattered in the hallway, and I snapped back into focus. 

I crept further into the gloom, where I hoped they wouldn't see me. The ground beneath my feet was dry and very warm. I strained my eyes in the darkness and saw a faint red glow. I walked curiously toward it and reached out a hand. 

My feet met thin air, and I screamed as I fell toward the lava.


	6. Chapter 6 ~ Holy ShitFuckDamn

*** * * * 3rd POV**

Aaarrrgghh flicked an ear in the direction of rapid footsteps coming from the hall. He placed the delicate box of chalk on the ground and made his way toward the stone archway. He barely made three steps before a human skidded through the doorway.

Her hair stuck on end and her eyes darted around the room, adjusting to the darkness. 

He recognised those eyes. That face. This was the girl from the forest.

Y/N.

Aaarrrgghh silently moved to the back corner of the room, careful to avoid the deep chasm in the ground. He couldn't afford to startle the girl, not when she was so obviously distressed.

He watched as Y/N noticed the rough chalk drawings on the wall. She gave a faint gasp of wonder as she admired the small patterns and sketches, brushing her delicate fingers softly over the chalk.

Aaarrrgghh heard something clatter somewhere in the hallway. Y/N snapped back into focus. She turned and crept warily toward the back of the room, her eyes searching blindly in the shadows. Her gaze locked on to the dim glow of the lava at the bottom ofthe chasm and she reached toward it, curious.

Y/N lost her footing.

Time slowed down as he heard her scream. She flung out her arms, her fingertips spread like feathers, and her arms like wings as though she could catch the air as a bird would. Trying to soar into the air.

but she toppled downward.

All rational though left his brain as he flung himself after her.

Aaarrrgghh grasped desperately at her as they both plummeted toward the lava. He hooked his fingers around her torso. He caught their fall by grabbing a crevice in the rock, but wrenched his arm as it took the weight of their falling bodies. He grunted in pain.

Aaarrrgghh looked down at Y/N. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him.

'Oh my god.' She said, her hand shaking as she reached up and touched his face. 'Oh my god. you're real. Oh my god. It wasn't a dream,' her eyes were like moons, shining in the red light and staring up at him. 

He smiled, the gums of his canines glistening.

'Hi' he said.

*** * * * Your POV**

My stomach lurched into my throat as I felt myself fall. I screamed and the air rushed past me as I plummeted downward .

As I resigned myself to my fate, I felt a stone hand wrap around my torso. It held on tight and my stomach dropped back down as we stopped falling. Someone grunted. 

I ripped my gaze away from the lava below to look at whoever had saved me.

I froze.

It was Him.

His soft green gaze met mine. The red glow of the lava reflected in his eyes as though the sun shone from within.

I remained still for a few moments, staring at his face.

'Oh my god.' I said after a few shocked seconds. I slowly reached up and brushed the side of his face. It felt velvety. 'Oh my god. You're real.' Real. Meaning... meaning... he was real. 'Oh my god.' I felt my tear ducts swell like sponges. 'It wasn't a dream.'

He smiled. His huge teeth glistened in the red light.

'Hi.' His voice reverberated through me and I tried not to shiver.

'H-hey.' I breathed.

'You ok?'

I grinned. 'Yeah. Yeah I'm good.' I squeaked as he pulled me onto his back.

'Hold on. Really tight.' He said, grasping the wall with both hands now.

I carefully climbed onto his broad shoulders, wrapping my legs around him and clinging tight with my knees. I wrapped my arms around his neck and dug my hands into his fur, grabbing large amounts in my fusts. I felt him flinch.

'Oh! Sorry! Did that hurt?' I said guiltily.

He huffed. 'No. Just sensitive. Blind spot.'

_Woah._ I though as I felt his muscles bunch in preparation. Damn.

_Muscles. Hehe._

He sprang up the rock face and hooked his fingers around the crevices. His feet dug into the rock, the little toe claws gripping on the gravel. The muscles beneath his fur rippled in effort as he climbed back toward safety, hand after hand. He slipped and we nearly feel to our deaths a couple of times, but he caught us before we could.

I nearly sighed with relief when he hauled us over the top.

I let myself topple off his shoulders, and just lay there on the ground. I laughed and thanked him, keeping my eyes closed.

Hearing the troll grunt, I looked at him. He was clutching his shoulder and appeared to have hurt it.

'Oh what happened? I asked him quietly.

He stopped massaging his shoulder and looked at me. 'Pulled it when saving you.' He smiled at me.

'Well, uh... thanks for... that. Saving me.' I smiled awkwardly and stuck out my hand. 'I'm Y/N.'

He looked a bit confused at the gesture. He held out a balled fist curiously. I laughed and shrugged. I fistbumped it.

'Kaboom!' He said, doing sparkle fingers.

I mimicked an explosion, 'phhhcchheww.' I copied his sparkle fingers.

_This is the most awkward conversation I've ever had,_ I thought.

'So, what's your name?' I asked.

'Aaarrrgghh.'

'Cool name.' I did finger guns, 'eccentric!'

'Eccentric...' he said under his breath. He seemed to think pretty hard about what it meant. 'Odd or unusual,' he decided. 

Blinky busted through the doorway, his six eyes easily adjusting to the darkness and spotting me. 'Haha! WE HAVE CAUGHT THE MISCREANT!!!' He crowed.

Jim, Claire, and Toby crowded in the doorway.

'I can't see anything!' Toby complained.

'Shush!' Claire said.

'Why the fuck am I being chased?!' I yelled at them. Something hit me on the head. 'WHAT THE HELL!!!' I shouted. Looking down at my feet I saw... a horseshoe?

'Oop-'

Draal bustled into view.

'Uhm... you are... a... a human. In trollmarket?' He said, looking over Blinky's head with a confused expression on his face.

'Well. That is certainly surprising. I was so sure she was a changeling. Tobias, are you sure that was a real gaggletack?' Blinky rubbed his chin in confusion.

Aaarrrgghh stepped forward. 'She's Y/N.'

'Oh! What? Really???' Blinky stared at me. 'By Gorgus! My girl, I am so terribly sorry!' He rushed forward and picked the 'gaggletack' off the ground. He eyed it cautiously and softly poked me with it.

I raised an eyebrow.

'Just had to make sure.' Blinky smiled sheepishly.

I wondered what he meant, and I was just about to ask before a voice came screeching up the passageway.

'TROLLHUNTER!'

**Oh my goodness if you've made it this far THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Honestly I'm so sorry about how long it took for u guys (you and Aaarrrgghh) to actually meet 😂**

**Honestly I can only manage to read oneshots because I'm so lazy with reading, but again if u made it this far I thank you sooo muuuccchhh!!!**

**> 3<**


	7. Chapter 7 ~ a whOLe nEw wOrLd

'TROLLHUNTER!' Someone bellowed from the hallway.

'Oh no..' Jim said quietly.

The creamy troll from before stalked into view. His pale eyes burned into my skin as he swept his gaze around the room, where it landed on the dark haired boy.

'A word.' His cold voice bit into the sudden, utter silence.

Jim rubbed the back of his head and walked out into the passageway, the troll close behind.

'We should go.' Blinky said hurriedly, nudging Claire, Toby and I out through the hall and back into the large arena.

'Let's hope Vendel doesn't scold Jim too much...'

'Considering that he allowed another human into trollmarket, without his knowing, he'll be lucky to come back in one piece.' Draal grumbled, crossing his arms.

I cleared my throat to catch everyone's attention. My head still ached, made even worse by the horseshoe thrown at me by Blinky.

'Could someone tell me what's happening _now_?'

Everyone glanced at each other, uncertain of what to say.

'Uhm...' Toby and Claire looked at Blinky.

'Well... erm...' He started, knotting his hands together in discomfort. 

'Take your time,' I said while pulling my phone out of my pocket. I checked the clock. _Shit._

'I was supposed to be home half an hour ago.' I groaned.

My mood was irritable now because of my stress and constant head pain, not to mention I'd nearly died.

'I have to go too,' Toby said, 'Nana said she's making spaghetti.'

'I will explain as best I can on the way out of trollmarket.' Blinky walked across the stone bridge.

As we followed him back through trollmarket, Blinky explained Jim's sacred responsibility as the Trollhunter, including a brief summary on the history of the amulet, and spoke of the Trollhunter's obligation to protect the trolls and humans from Gumgums.

'Wait so... Bular was the one who broke my skull?' I asked him.

'Yes. On that particular evening, Tobias and master Jim were ambushed by Bular and he captured Tobias. And, without consulting either Aaarrrgghh, Draal, or myself, Jim went after Bular.' Blinky wrinkled his nose, 'Bular wanted the amulet, and I assume you know the rest.'

'Yeah. But do you guys like, actually fight trolls like Bular?' I asked, eyeing off Claire's delicate frame and Toby's chubby limbs.

'Oh, I certainly try not to come face to face with such formidable enemies,' Blinky stated as we walked through trollmarket, 'As the Trollhunter, that is master Jim's responsibility. Tobias has helped him with the occasional horde of goblins and rouge gnome, but faire Claire has yet to help with any Trollhunter duties.'

'I've only been to trollmarket twice before this.' Claire explained. 'Jim told me about it to me after we got attacked by goblins in a forest. I've only known about this for what, a week?'

'What, really? How long has Jim been the Trollhunter?' I asked.

'Hmm.' Blinky rubbed his chin with a stony hand. 'Five months... maybe four.'

'So, does Jim do most of the fighting?' 

'Yes, as previously stated, I do not possess the skill, or uh, bravery to fight Bular. He does have the aid of Claire and Toby, but in the end it is he who must defeat Bular.'

I looked back at Draal and Aaarrrgghh.

'What about you guys? You got the muscle.' I said to them.

'Mmh,' Draal grumbled, 'the Trollhunter and I... did not get off to a great start.' He said sheepishly. 'I might have tried to kill him.'

He continued quickly as he saw my look of horror, 'We are good man-in-arms now. I live in his basement.'

I raised my eyebrows.

'I guard his home from whatever foes that dare stalk him and his mother.' Draal shrugged.

'What about you Aaarrrgghh?' I asked him.

'Pacifist.' Said Aaarrrgghh, walking on his haunches.

'Huh, really? You've got quite a few scars though, were you a warrior or something fighting against Gunmar?'

In the space of two seconds, the mood shifted. Everyone tensed as I spoke the last word.

*** * * * 3rd POV**

Aaarrrgghh hoped walking would loosen the pain in his arm. Wingman and Y/N needed to go back to their homes, much to his disappointment. He found Y/N's company relaxing, even though he knew nothing about her. It was wonderful meeting Y/N without blood pouring from her head.

'... from whatever foes that dare stalk him and his mother.' Draal said, shrugging his shoulders. Draal sometimes came back to trollmarket to help out, but mostly living in Jim's house away from trollmarket. Many trolls shunned him since he lost his fight with Jim. It made Aaarrrgghh sad when he though about it, being away from your home and not being able to go back because you lost your honour and respect from other trolls.

'What about you Aaarrrgghh?' Asked Y/N, turning her pretty eyes to him.

'Pacifist.'

'Huh, really? You've got quite a few scars though, were you a warrior or something fighting against Gunmar?'

He smelled the tension in the air as soon as the words left her lips. Her saw her muscles go rigid at the sudden change in atmosphere.

Blinky looked at Aaarrrgghh out of the corner of his eyes. He twitched his nose in response, it's ok.

'Err, maybe tell you later.' He said awkwardly. Aaarrrgghh smiled at her to give her reassurance that it was ok.

'Sorry.' She murmured, crossing her arms and hunching her shoulders in.

'Hehe, it's ok.' He patted her on the shoulders, making her knees buckle.

A short bark of laughter left her mouth in shock as she caught herself. She bumped him on the arm with her fist and her face relaxed once more.

**  
* * * * Your POV**

_Wow, that was awkward_ , I thought as I bumped Aaarrrgghh's arm.

We reached the bottom of the first flight of uneven stairs and began to ascend.

'Hey Y/N, you coming to the Romeo and Juliet play on Saturday?' Said Claire, changing the subject to my relief.

'Ooh! That'd be good to go to. Are you in it?' I asked.

'Yeah actually, I'm casted as Juliet.' She smiled. 'Jims acting Romeo.'

'Damn! I didn't know you guys did Drama.' I wiggled my eyebrows, 'You and Jim, huh?'

Claire snorted, in an embarrassed, amused way. 'Well, that is, if he actually manages to turn up for rehearsals. Trollhunting kind of... messes up plans.'

We climbed the rest of the stone stairs in silence. Walking under the stone archway, I thought of something.

'Hey, do you think... I could help you guys? With... fighting Bular and that.'

I saw Aaarrrgghh's face light up, and he grinned at Blinky.

'Are you sure?' Asked Blinky. 'You will be putting yourself in danger to protect this world which you only just discovered.'

'I'm sure. If it helps stop Gunmar from escaping, I'm willing to take the risks.' I said.

'Very well.'

As we climbed up the glowing crystal stairs, the true meaning of Blinky's words sunk in.

I could _die_ protecting this realm, in which I didn't belong. But if Bular succeeded in releasing his father, the world would succumb to chaos and so many innocent people would be put in danger. But I knew I wouldn't just fight for humans, I would fight for the safety of trollkind as well.

I glanced at the three trolls trudging up the stairs. Their lives were just as meaningful and complicated as my own, their feelings just as strong, if not stronger and their minds just as intelligent as mine, if not more so from centuries of living on this earth.

If they could not defend themselves, then they would need as much help as they can get from others.

Stupid to think, I know, that these capable beings would need help from someone such as me. I was not as strong or smart or as cunning in the art of combat, I was one human. But working with the Trollhunters would help them even if they didn't need my help.

I sighed as I climbed the last five steps. Damn, they were steep.

Claire dug around in her bag and pulled out an orange crystal. It's facets glinted in the bluish light and it gave off a dim glow from deep within the core. The bottom was attached to a handle with various runes written in trollish.

I watched carefully as she drew an almost perfect arch on the flat stone wall. Claire pressed her hand in the middle of the drawing, and the rock fell away like the chocolate coating on ice cream.

The pieces hovered before swirling and disappearing, to reveal the dimming daylight outside.

I turned to Aaarrrgghh, Draal and Blinky.

'Uh, thank you for having me. Even if I wasn't,' I waved my arms in random directions, 'invited.'

'Oh, it was a pleasure!' Blinky shook my hand. His face went serious. 'But don't tell anyone about us.'

I saluted with my available hand. 'Yes sir!'

'Goodbye human Y/N.' Draal said from the safety of the shadows.  
  


Aaarrrgghh hugged Toby. 'Bye Wingman.'

Toby grinned. 'Hehe. I'll probably come back tomorrow.'

The trolls proceeded to say their goodbyes to Claire and Toby.

A huff of warm air lifted the loose strands of hair over my face. I turned around and saw Aaarrrgghh looking at me.

'Bye Aaarrrgghh,' I said.

'Come back soon?' He asked.

'Yeah probably.' I hugged his broad chest, my face pressed against his fur.

His warm hands hugged my back and I buried my nose in his green mane. It smelled slightly of iron and moss.

'Thank you.' I said.

He rumbled in response. It felt strangely comforting.

I broke the embrace after another few seconds. I grinned up at him.

'Y/N, may I have a quick word,' said Blinky, breaking the moment. He motioned for me to come to a secluded corner.

'If you really do want to be part of the trollhunters, I am sure you have thought about the risks that imply.'

'Yeah...'

'Are you really willing to put your life on the line for us trolls?' Blinky's many eyes were a bit scary, to be honest.

'Yeah. It kinda... fells like, maybe... I was meant to do this? It gives me an actual purpose beyond mundane life.' I said.

'Like destiny?'

'Yeah, I guess.' Shrugging my shoulders, I looked back toward the rapidly growing shadows outside.

'Y/N, destiny is something that is laid out for some, others must forge their own paths.'

I tilted my head at him.

'You are capable of doing great things, even if it might not be protecting this realm.' His eyes glittered in the dim light. A spark glinted from deep inside each one.

'Do you feel a burden pushing down upon your shoulders? That is your sense of purpose, that you must choose your own destiny, to really find your reason for being upon this Earth, whether it be living the mundane life that society has laid out or fighting for what this new found world has taught you.'

My feet felt frozen to the spot, my ears demanding to hear what he had to say.

'Fear is what we feel when we face the unknown, and valour us what we possess when we step forward to fight for the ones we love.

'A warrior fights the unknown, not because she hates what stands out there, but because she loves the world she has left behind. You strive to find your destiny, but the only thing that will help you choose the right path for you is the purpose you choose for yourself.' 

He placed a hand upon my shoulder.

I curled my lip in an awkward smile. 'Thanks. I'll... take it to heart.'

I patted his shoulder.

I walked out of the archway with Claire and Toby. I waved goodbye to the three trolls as we trudged up the side of the canal.

The last thing I saw before the portal closed, was a wide face looking out at me with worry in his soft green eyes.


	8. Chapter 8 ~ Yeah Mum Just a Normal Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter contains swearing, goblin guts and a dead cat

I sighed as I reached the front door of my house. I couldn't hear any shouting, not that that was a good thing. I opened the door to see our messy lounge room, cluttered with magazines and dirty dishes. The TV in the corner buzzed between stations as Mum tried to find one that suited her interest. She was still dressed in her work attire, a button-up white shirt and long black pants with socks, her shoes discarded on the other side of the room.

'Hey Y/N.' She greeted me.

'Hi Mum,' I said, 'where's Dad?'   


'I don't know. Not that I care.' She sniffed.

Clearly she did care.

An awkward silence followed, which I filled by untying my shoes. I could just slip them off, usually.

'How was your walk?' She asked when I began to head toward the kitchen.

'Yeah, good.' Shuffling through the fridge, I found some leftover noodles. Snatching them from the shelf, I dashed upstairs and passed my brother's closed door. I locked myself in my room. Looking in the mirror, I checked the shrinking bruise on the top of my head. Satisfied that it was still ok, I grabbed my book and slumped on the bed, burying myself in the blankets.

A disgruntled mew came from somewhere near my leg. I looked down to see a fluffy mass of fur rising from his slumber before he stalked across the sheets toward my face, smothering me in loose black fur. It got in my mouth and my nose, and I huffed the hair out of my face, scratching the cat's ear.

'Hey Ollie,' I cooed, 'whose my fluffy boi? You my fluffy boi.' I snatched up the sleepy cat and cuddled him close to my chest. Oliver had given up trying to escape my suffocating hugs ages ago, now lying in my arms without argument. 

I didn't bother trying to read my book, not after all that had happened this afternoon. As I stroked Oliver's fur, I thought about what Blinky said when I left. 

Was it fate that I came across the Trollhunters? Destiny? Mere coincidence?

_"Y/N, destiny is laid out for some, others must forge their own paths._

_"You feel that burden pushing down upon your shoulders? That is the sense of purpose, that you must choose your own destiny, to really find your reason for being upon this Earth, whether it be living the mundane life that society had laid out or fighting for what this newfound world has taught you._

_"Fear is what we feel when we face the unknown, and valour is what we have when we step forward to fight for the ones we love._

_"A warrior fights the unknown, not because she hates what stands out there, but because she loves the world she has left behind. You strive to find your destiny, but the only thing that will help you choose the right path for you is the purpose you choose for yourself."_

I frowned at the peeling paint on my roof. I didn't really believe in destiny, or fate and stuff. In my mind, everything just... happened, and that was that. Nobody has a destiny, and what is fate anyway? Something that happens for a reason? There is no reason to life. I'm only in this universe by chance,

But maybe fate was a thing. I dunno. It wasn't like my "destiny'' was going to be that great anyway.

My thoughts were broken off by someone screeching outside my door.

'Y/N! MUM IS ORDERING THAI CURRY, WHAT RICE DO YOU WANT?'

'WHAT CURRY IS SHE GETTING?' I shouted back, scaring Oliver.

'Duck and noodle.' My brother whispered in his gremlin voice through the crack under the door.

'I'll have coconut rice.'

'Eww you're so gross.' He said in a normal voice.

'What? It's delicious. _Tu as non mangerness!_ ' I mocked him in a fake French accent. I was pretty sure it meant you have no eatingness.

'You are so bad at French.' He muttered, the sound of his footsteps fading.

 _'Tu es un ROTTEN POTATO!'_ I called after him.

Oliver jumped off the bed and strutted over to the door. He sat and meowed at me, probably his way of saying "open the door dumbass".

I grumbled and hauled myself out of the comfy blankets. Oliver trotted happily out into the hallway and down the stairs, where I could hear Mum talking on the phone.

I shut the door, grabbing my cold leftovers and my phone and jumping back in bed. I shoved my earphones into my ears and let the music play at random.

 _I should probably do my homework_ , I thought. Yes. I'll just check my Pinterest notifications...

I probably wasted about an hour on YouTube, Tumblr and various other social media platforms.

After scrolling through a post on sci-fi writing ideas, my eyes flicked up to the time shown at the top of my screen and I nearly shat myself. **(Shat is past-tense for shitted apparently)**. Panicking, I flicked my phone onto the sheets beside me and hung the top half of my body off the mattress, grabbing at the laptop I'd thrown on the carpet this afternoon.

Stupid due assignment. I typed frantically for about two minutes straight on the feature article about the latest topic in English class: Social Economic Development. I sighed in annoyance as I reached the third paragraph and my mind hit a blank. I tapped on the j button for a while before I heard Mum call from downstairs.

'Y/N! Dinners here!'

'COMING!' I shouted, relieved to have an excuse to stop writing. I flicked the sheets off my legs and hurried downstairs to find my brother stuffing his face with prawn chips. A bowl of noodles was set on the bench in front of him, and he was shovelling plain rice into it as his other hand hoarded as many of the pink prawn crackers as he could.

'Has Dad come home yet?' I asked him as I plucked a bowl from the cupboard.

'Yeah. He's just at the table with Mum.' He said with his checks stuffed full of rice and crackers.   
  


Dinner was pretty nice actually, even if I had to endure a painful game of UNO, in which my brother completely annihilated us.

I groaned as a +2 card was set down in front of me, and I dramatically pulled two extra cards off the deck.

'Ooh! Hard luck, Y/N!' Dad jeered as he put down his last card. I subtly flicked him off. He pointedly scratched his eyebrow at me with his middle finger.

'You're washing up tonight.' Said Mum, piling the four dirty bowls and dishes into the sink.

I whined and flopped dramatically over to the sink. Looking out the window, into the dark trees behind our house, I scrubbed the cutlery. I sighed.

I sniffed in distain as I scrubbed the bowls with the sponge, accidentally squishing a grain of rice under my fingernail. Gross.

A movement in the near shadows caught my eye. I stopped and squinted out the window, staring into the trees. 

I squawked in alarm as a round face popped up outside my window. Toby motioned for me to be quiet by pressing a finger to his lips and waving his other hand frantically. His braces glinted as he grinned at me from the other side of the glass, and he motioned for me to come outside.

I hurriedly finished the dishes and crept out the back door, where the short boy stood waiting.

'What are you _doing_ here?' I hissed. 

'Well, we thought you might want to go eradicate some goblins with us.' He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

'We?'

'Me and Wingman.' Toby motioned behind him, to where a very suspicious cluster of bushes stood. 

'Hi!' They said. A pair of emerald eyes peered through the leaves.

'Hi!' I whisper shouted at him.

'We're on patrol tonight, Aaarrrgghh thought you might want to tag along.' Said Toby.

'Uh, yeah... I'll just tell Mum and Dad I'm going to bed.'

I went into the main room and called for Dad, maybe he was upstairs.

'Hey what's up?' He said from behind me, sitting on the couch.

'Woah, You're right there. Uhm.. I'm just gonna have an early night tonight, cause I have a big day tomorrow. English work due.' I did the thumbs up to him.

'Ok, night.' He said.

I went upstairs as fast as I could without looking suspicious. Locking my bedroom door, I climbed out my window and slid down a pole, landing safely on the grass.

'About time.' Toby grumbled.

'Shush. So what are we doing?' I asked them.

'Just patrol. Usually goblins on the way.' Aaarrrgghh said from behind his bush disguise.

'You'll probably need a weapon.' Toby said. He handed me a wooden baseball bat. Grasping the cool handle in my fists, I tested its weight and swung it at the ground. It hit the grass with a loud THUD, leaving a large dent in the earth.

Toby hefted his own baseball bat, which was made of metal. I followed him and Aaarrrgghh into the trees.

'So, goblins are those ugly, oily green things?' I asked.

'Yeah. They do stuff for the changelings. But they're also a big threat to people. Also, they can smell fear. Just so you know.' Toby swung his bat at a tree, hitting it square in the middle. A bat (the one with wings) screeched indignantly as a few leaves drifted down and landed on our heads.

'Well. That's nice to know.' I sniffed. 'So where are we going?'

'There has been a bit more goblin activity around the main town square thingy.'

'Near the cinema?'

'Also in Eastern forest.' Aaarrrgghh said.

'Yeah. We'll go there first, then the cinema.' Said Toby.

We walked through the forest, crossing a few roads along the way. We reached one of Arcadia's many canals and slid down the slope, our path guided by the moon and Toby's dim flashlight.

I kicked a rock in my path. 'So, you and Jim,' I said to Toby, 'you guys saw the Killahead bridge?'

'Yeah. In the museum, actually. We were sneaking in to get my Chubby Tracker back.' Toby said. 'But, you know, ran into a changeling and got arrested for breaking and entering.'

'Fabulous.' I said. 'You guys still looking for the bridge?'

'Blinky looking for it.' Aaarrrgghh rumbled. 'Every night.'

'Huh, aren't you guys worried he'll get caught all alone?'

'Can take care of himself.' Aaarrrgghh sniffed the air. His ears shifted in the direction of the light wind blowing through the canal, where the faint smell of rot resided. ‘Goblins.' 

'Stupid fucking goblins.' Toby muttered. 'Ruining a perfectly good night.'

The three of us climbed up the other side of the canal. My head pounded from heavy blood flow, the ache returning. I tried to blink away the fuzzy dots on the corners of my vision, to no avail. I just hoped it wouldn't be too much of a hazard.

I wrinkled my nose at the faint stench of rotting meat.

'Killed something.' Aaarrrgghh said quietly. 

Toby gulped. 'Do you know what?'

'Smells like cat.'

My throat lurched. I dry retched in shock. Cats. They ate cats.

'You ok?' Aaarrrgghh's concerned voice reached my ears.

'Yeah. Yeah, just...' I breathed, 'cats.'

'They're a delicacy in the troll world, actually.' Toby added, unhelpfully.

I was about to say something, before a branch snapped a few dozen feet away from where we stood. Aaarrrgghh quickly waved to me and Toby, signalling for us to follow him.

We quietly approached the source of the noise under the cover of leaves and shadow. We stopped when Aaarrrgghh spotted something in the damp leaves underfoot, a dishivveled lump of stinking fur.

'Cat.'   
  


'But where's- AEERRGHHEGH!' Toby screamed as a slimy creature jumped from the leaves, onto his head.

I felt something land on my shoulder. I yelled, whacking it off with my hand and onto the ground, where it landed and stared at me with menacing red eyes.

'KILL IT!' Toby shouted, whacking his own goblin. It exploded in a burst of green goop, splattering us and nearby trees.

I smashed my bat down onto the goblin, which was still looking at me until it's guts splattered on my pajamas.

'THATS SO FUCKING GROSS!' I shouted as I whacked another one, leaving it dazed.

Aaarrrgghh snarled and squished a goblin in his fist. The goblin purée poured down onto the ground and he flicked it off his fingers before another one attacked him.

I yelped when a spindly claw came from nowhere and scratched me on the arm. A branch whacked me in the face as I whipped around to face my opponent. Nothing was there.

The three of us proceeded to kill goblins for another ten minutes, before my bat shattered. I barely missed one of the vile creatures, grazing its oily skin with the gore-splattered wood, before the force of my blow whammed the bat into a nearby tree. The wooden handle cracked up the middle and I dropped my weapon, the useless shards abandoned.

The goblin sprung at me. Shrieking like a maniac, I punched it square in the face.

It lay on the ground, dazed.

'wAkA chAKA!' Another goblin goblin cried from somewhere I couldn't see.

All the attacking goblins perked up. Toby, Aaarrrgghh and I paused, confused at the goblins' sudden change in behaviour.

With the rustle of leaves and the quiet whispers of waka chaka, the vermin disappeared into the trees.

  
'That was wierd.' I said.

'Not good.' Said Aaarrrgghh, worry creasing his brow. 'You ok?' He asked me.

'Yeah... yeah.'

'Let's get back home. I have to lock the cats up.' Toby tried to shake the green goop remains from his weapon, to no avail.

*** * * * 3rd POV - At Jim's House**

'Draal!' Toby whisper shouted, lying on the ground, with his face pressed against the glass of Jim's basement window.

'What, peasants?' The blue troll grumbled, seated on the basement floor with a basket containing random items, such as VHS tapes, CDs, pebbles and socks, in front of him.

'Where's Jim?' Toby said.

'I don't know. I'm not his mother.' Draal stuffed a CD in his mouth.

After a few seconds of crunching, he spoke. 'Probably sulking in his room.'

'Thanks,' Toby said. He ran around the side of Jim's house, coming to the porch railing. Y/N and Aaarrrgghh followed.

'Aaarrrgghh, could I have a hand?' He asked, struggling to climb the wooden beams.

Aaarrrgghh scooped up the boy and placed him on the roof of the porch, just outside Jim's bedroom window. Toby tapped lightly on the glass, and an alarmed Jim slammed the window open.

'Tobes! Blinky's in trouble!' Jim spotted Aaarrrgghh and Y/N on the grass. He slid down the porch beam to meet us.

'Shit, what happened?' Toby asked, being helped down by Aaarrrgghh.

'Bular has Blinky.'

Jim whipped out his phone, and hit 'play' on voicemail. 

_'Master Jim, you must listen to me very carefully. They've captured me and want you to come to the bridge... alone._

_'DON'T COME ITS A TRAP!'_

_Strickler's voice cut in. 'Give me that!'_

_'It appears things have grown awkward, Mister Lake.' Strickler said. 'Meet me in the alley beside the theatre if you ever want to see your friend again.'_

_'DON'T OPEN THE BRIDGE! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES-'_

The voicemail cut off abruptly. Jim and Toby looked at each other.

'I've listened to it a hundred times now, and I still don't know what to do.' Jim shook his head.

'You don't have to do this alone!' Toby said. 'You've got Aaarrrgghh, Draal, Y/N. And me.'

'They said I had to be alone. If I'm not, what do you think they'll do to Blinky?'

'Blinky made it clear! "Under no circumstances!"'

'Very bad idea.' Said Aaarrrgghh. If Jim opened the bridge, all hell would break loose. But... Blinky was his oldest friend.

'Enough friends have gotten hurt because of me. No more.' Jim fiddled with the amulet.

'Well... it's your call. You're the Trollhunter.' Toby said, wiping his baseball bat on the grass.

'But... you know,' Y/N said, 'either save Blinky, or keep Gunmar from invading.'

The purring sound of an approaching car cut the conversation off. Headlights glared along the side of the house as the car pulled into the driveway.

'Schizer! Hide!' Y/N darted into the bushes before the light reached her.

Aaarrrgghh and Toby followed suit.

'I should get back inside.' Said Jim.

'Cya! But don't leave us behind if you go after Blinky!' Toby called.

Y/N had to get home, it was midnight. She said goodbye and ran home, hoping that nobody noticed she was gone.

*** * * * Your POV**

It was only when I reached my house did I realise that my pajamas were stained with gore beyond washable repair.

 _Stupid goblins_ , I thought as I tossed the gooey clothes onto the grass, leaving me in my underwear and bra. I hoped nobody had decided to go for a late-night stroll around this particular part of town.I quickly washed the gore out of my hair and off my body. 

Rinsing the loose chunks of guts out of the fabric of my clothes, I turned off the tap. I tossed my pants and shirt onto my shoulder and climbed up into my room through the window.  
  


I donned a new, clean set of clothes. I threw my dirty clothes into the corner of the room and slumped on my bed, asleep within the minute.


End file.
